抄録
Objective: Abatacept is a selective T-cell co-stimulation modulator and is an effective new therapy for rheumatoid arthritis. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of abatacept in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Methods: A total of 38 patients (17 naïve, 21 switching) began abatacept treatment with a dose of 500 or 750 mg according to body weight.
Results: At 24 weeks, the following response rates were observed for all patients, naive patients, and switching patients, respectively: good European League Against Rheumatism responses of 39.5%, 41.2%, and 38.1% were attained; remission rates in terms of DAS28 (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) were 26.3%, 41.2%, and 14.3%; and simplified disease activity index scores were 18.4%, 35.3%, and 4.8%. Mean changes in matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) concentration were greater for good responders versus nonresponders (−121 versus −42.8 ng/ml). The incidence of serious infections was 2.6% (pneumonia).
Conclusion: In this study, abatacept significantly reduced disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The measure of effectiveness was the change in MMP-3 concentration. Switching patients seemed to make better progress than naive patients did. Abatacept demonstrated clinically meaningful efficacy and acceptable safety.
